Assessment
There are two elements to the assessment for this module: a Case Study and the Module Forum.
Case Study
Objective: The objective of the Case Study is to allow you to explore in greater detail an aspect of the media in which you are particularly interested.
Brief: You can choose to write a Case Study that relates either to the Vehicle Strand of the module or to the Environment Strand.
If you elect to write a Case Study that relates to the Vehicle Strand, choose a theory or approach within Media Studies that we have discussed in class (semiotics, genres, narratives, representation, or audiences). Then select a specific artefact from the media (a particular film, an episode from a television series, a newspaper article, a cartoon, etc.). Use your chosen theory to produce a Case Study that analyses the artefact in detail.*
If you elect to write a Case Study that relates to the Environment Strand, choose a probe or idea suggested by McLuhan which we have discussed in class (acoustic space, hot and cool media, the tetrad, discarnate man, or the global village). Then select a specific medium or communication technology (the mobile phone, television, MSN, carrier pigeon, etc.). Use your chosen probe to produce a Case Study that analyses the medium in detail.
In order to pass the assignment it is vital that you fulfil the Assessment Criteria. The Assessment Criteria for the Case Study are provided on p. 13 of the Module Handbook.
Your Case Study should be 1500 words in length, and must include a list of references (Harvard Style). It must be word-processed, with clearly numbered pages. Do not place individual pages inside the pockets of a folder.
On the front cover of your Case Study you must state:
- the module name (Understanding Media)
- the module number (U75102)
- your name
- your student number
- the theory or probe you have chosen
- the artefact or medium you have chosen
- the word count
If you would like your Case Study returned with feedback, you must submit with it a stamped, self-addressed envelope large enough to hold the assignment.
Advice: Unfortunately it is not possible for me to read early drafts of assignments. However, I am always happy to arrange a tutorial to discuss your ideas. In fact, I strongly recommended that you arrange a tutorial as soon as you have chosen a topic for your Case Study in order to discuss your ideas.
Proportion: 50%
Length: 1500 words (+/- 10%)
Deadline: 12.30pm, Friday 09.11.06 (Week 7)
Submission: B1/12
Learning Outcomes: KUi, KUii, KUiii, DSi, TSii, TSiv, TSv
Don’t forget to check the weekly pages of the website for suggestions and
ideas on topics and readings for the Case Study. * There is a single restriction on your choice of theory: if you are studying
(or if you have studied in the past) the module U75100 Human Communication,
you are not permitted to select semiotics as your theory. You can use any
other theory for your Case Study. Module Forum Brief: A forum is a website where participants can post questions, comments and observations. In the first class of the module you will be shown how to make posts in the Module
Forum. The Module Forum contains three ‘seminars’ which address issues raised within the module: The Media, The Matrix, and Marshall McLuhan. There is also a Miscellaneous seminar for general chat. You must post at least ten times in the Module Forum. Your posts can contribute to any of the seminar discussions: for instance, you might choose to post in a different discussion each time, or alternatively you might concentrate on a single discussion that particularly interests you. Posts in the Miscellaneous seminar do not count toward your assessment (i.e. you must make at least ten posts in seminar discussions other than the Miscellaneous seminar). In order to pass the assignment it is vital that you fulfil the Assessment
Criteria. The Assessment Criteria for the Module Forum are provided on p.
14 of the Module Handbook. Advice: When making posts in the Module Forum you are not expected to adhere to the same rigorous academic standards that you employ in your Case Study: spelling, grammar, referencing, etc. are not as important here as the ability to engage in, and contribute to, the ongoing discussion. You will not be assessed on whether your posts are ‘correct’, but rather on whether they make a valuable contribution to the group discussion. You may find the Module Forum a good place to ask questions or try out ideas which relate to your Case Study. Although your Module Forum posts won’t be assessed until Week 12 of the module, I strongly recommend that you complete your posts gradually, as the module progresses. One of the key assessment criteria for this assignment is that you interact with the other participants in the Module Forum, which will be difficult for those who leave all their posts till the end. Proportion: 50% If you would like feedback on your forum posts, please submit to room B1/12
an A4 stamped, self-addressed envelope by the time of the deadline.
Objective: The objective of the Module Forum is to provide you with the opportunity to engage in a series of online discussions which deal with different aspects of the module.
Length: 10 posts
Deadline: 12.30, Friday 14.12.06 (Week 12)
Submission: online
Learning Outcomes: KUi, KUii, KUiii, DSi, DSii, TSii, TSiv, TSv